Upgrade to EFTA

Why joining the European Free Trade Association would be better for the UK than EU membership:

Will we have any say over the rules?

Critics argue that if we leave and rejoin EFTA we will still “have to obey EU rules”.

Let’s be clear – the EU has very little influence over EFTA states.

The EFTA states are exempt from most of the contentious EU policy areas such as:

Common Agriculture and Fisheries Policies

Customs Union

Common Trade Policy

Common Foreign and Security Policy

Justice and Home Affairs

Monetary Union (EMU)

The areas in which the EU does have control are largely those to do with the single market, product standards and regulations. In many cases these rules are simply European interpretations of standards agreed at regional or global standard-setting bodies.